Mumbai: The services sector will have a large role to play in making Maharashtra a trillion-dollar economy by 2025, according to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The CM was speaking at the session titled ‘Leveraging the Economic Contribution of Services Sector to achieve trillion dollar economy’, at the Global Exhibition on Services.
“Till about a decade or so ago, we used to focus on manufacturing for job creation. But we need to acknowledge now that apart from manufacturing, the startup sector will create the maximum jobs.” He said Maharashtra had a policy for startups, adding it is the only State with a ‘cloud policy’, for businesses that used the cloud.
Mumbai, he said, was leading in the services sector. “Around 60% of India’s container traffic is via JNPT. We recently notified Navi Mumbai SEZ as a non-SEZ and are expecting investment up to ₹ 60,000 crore in this industrial park. We are also coming up with the Mumbai Nagpur Super Expressway that will open up new areas of development.”
Minister of Tourism Jaykumar Rawal said the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation has tied up with the likes of Airbnb to promote tourism and are expecting development of 50,000 micro entrepreneurs. “We want to explore Maharashtra’s huge tourism land bank. FDI can also explore avenues in tourism.”
Vinayak Chatterjee, chairman of Feedback Infra, suggested to the CM that the charter of Department of Industries be changed and the department be renamed to include the word ‘services’, as the service sector contributes to about 60% of jobs. Maneck Davar, vice chairman of SEPC, suggested the formation of an Export Promotions Council.
In reply to a question from the audience, Mr. Fadnavis said the State had come out with a policy for group farming, wherein small groups could also avail of loans.
